From Our Eyes
by CCangel
Summary: Jerry and Karen Grant have heard the rumors. They've seen everything about Fitz's supposed affair. Now they've come back to D.C. to learn the truth for themselves. Will this family survive once the truth is realized?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Their lives were anything but normal. They were the president's kids and their lives were under a microscope. Even at boarding school, they heard the rumblings of their peers regarding their father. They tried to block it all out but it was getting harder by the day.

Karen was in her dorm room with Jerry. "So do you think this is a good idea? Surprising mom and dad like this. You know mom hates surprises," Jerry questioned.

"I don't care Jerry. She's our mother and we need to be there for her. Besides we need to get out of this school. I can't take it anymore."

Jerry paced around. "Do you think it's true? Would he really cheat on mom?"

Karen sighed. Anybody with a good eye could see her parents' marriage was just for show. She wasn't stupid and she knew her father wasn't above it. She heard enough stories about her grandfather. Jerry looked up to their father immensely. He immortalized him.

"You know they've had problems Jer. I talked to mom and she sounds okay but I know she isn't," she said.

"Karen, do you think it's true?" Jerry asked again.

"Yes," she confessed. "Mom confessed it on tv. She could be lying but I don't think so. We'll find out something concrete when we go home. Thankfully Hal can keep a secret and sneak us in. Are you ready to go?"

"I guess," he said. She grabbed her duffle bag and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, we stick together." They walked out of her dorm and were met by secret service.

"Jerry. Karen," one of them greeted. The men took their bags and they headed toward the limousine.

Jerry took out his iPad and looked at all the media outlets. Karen glanced over and sighed. "Her name is Olivia Pope. Remember mom said she was on dad's campaign. Mom told us how wonderful she was. Apparently she had no idea how wonderful."

"But this other girl was named," Jerry argued. "All of this could be a mistake."

"Maybe but think about...one day Olivia is named and two days later this other woman is thrown underneath the bus. No, I'm not buying it. Come on, we're Mellie Grant's children. I think mom had something to do with it."

Jerry groaned. "Seriously? Mom-

"Has changed. They both have. Dad got meaner and mom...she's different. She's still her but she's gotten sadder it seems," Karen said.

Jerry put away his iPad. "So what's your plan?"

"I don't know really," Karen admitted.

Hours later, they landed in D.C. and walked through the tunnels of the airport. "Home sweet home," Karen said nudging Jerry in the stomach. He gave a weak smile.

They got in another limousine. "I'll call mom."

"She's going to freak out," Jerry said. Karen dialed.

Mellie and Fitz were in another one of their heated arguments when her phone rang. "It's Karen," she said.

"Karen," she greeted.

"Hi mom. What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just talking to your father," she said. "What's going on?"

"Well, Jerry is with me. We thought about coming home for the weekend," she said. Jerry just shook his head at her.

"You want to come for the weekend," she said looking at Fitz. He had a calm expression on his face. "Sure, we'll arrange it."

"Um, that's fine. We will see you soon."

Karen hung up and saw Jerry narrowing his eyes. "You were supposed to tell her we're in D.C."

"They'll know in a few minutes," she said.

"Why do they want to come this weekend?" asked Fitz. Mellie rolled her eyes.

"What? Are you worried this will ruin your plans with Olivia?"

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "Come off it Mellie. I don't have time for your Olivia bashing today."

There was a knock on the door and the secretary came in. "Excuse me. First Lady, you have some visitors." Mellie smiled and thanked the woman.

"Another group I have to entertain," she muttered. She left and went to her office. "Sorry I'm late. I-

She froze in her tracks at seeing her children there. "Surprise mom," Karen said.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: From Thursday's episode, it looks like now Jerry and Karen are roughly 15 and 13 respectively. I thought they were about 18 and 17. For this story, Jerry is 18 and Karen is 17. I know Jerry has the softer, quieter personality according to the show. However, eventually he will come out of it in this fic. For Karen, I imagine her a little like Mellie having a strong personality.

Chapter 2

It took Mellie a minute to process her children were standing there. She shook her head. "I thought you were coming this weekend. That's what you said a few minutes ago," she stated. She went to hug her children before taking a step back.

"We thought we'd surprise you and dad," Karen said. "Are you surprised?"

Mellie chuckled and shook her head. "Surprise doesn't even begin to describe it. How did you pull this off?"

"It was easy mom," Karen replied not wanting to get anybody in trouble. "Can we go see dad now?"

"Sure honey. He'll be glad to see the both of you," she said. Mellie walked behind her children wondering why they were really there. This was not the surprise she needed. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see them but with everything going on, they didn't need to be around.

Fitz sat behind his desk when the door opened. He rolled his eyes and sighed thinking it was Mellie coming back for another argument. He was about to say something but the words died when his daughter walked through the door.

"Karen," he whispered as he arose out of his seat. She smiled at him and he had a huge smile plastered on his face. His eyes landed on Jerry. "Hi son," he greeted.

"Hi dad," he replied. Fitz hugged them and they all sat on the couch.

"I thought you two weren't coming until the weekend," he said looking at Mellie with confusion.

"Well Fitz, it seems we have two schemers on our hands. They wanted to surprise us," Mellie replied. Fitz laughed softly.

"I'm glad you're here. Tell you what, I'll cancel everything and spend the time with you guys. How does that sound?"

They were about to respond when Cyrus walked in. "Mr. President, we need to talk about the-

"What Cyrus?" Fitz asked tilting his head to the side. Cyrus looked at the four of them in shock. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Nothing sir. Never mind. I'll take care of it. It's nice to see the two of you," he left them and breathed out. He felt a headache coming on. He hoped this wouldn't turn into a debacle.

Fitz turned to his children. "What do you say? Want to hang out with your old man?"

"Sure but can we see Teddy first," Karen said. She looked at her mom.

"I'll go get him," she said and left the room. Karen glanced at Jerry who shot her a lopsided smile.

"How's school going?" Fitz asked.

"Making straight A's as usual," Jerry responded. "Nothing much going on."

"How about you?" he asked Karen.

"The same. I just missed you guys," she replied.

Mellie walked in and watched as they crowded around her. Teddy went to Jerry first. He seemed to blossom with Teddy as he sat back on the couch.

"Hey kid. You're getting so big. What's mom feeding you?" he said looking at his mom.

She smirked. "The same thing I fed you when you were a baby," she shot back. "You survived."

Jerry turned his attention back to his brother. "When you're older, I'm going to teach you how to play basketball. See if we can beat our old man at the game. What do you say?"

Teddy made some noise and they laughed. "He agrees with me. Dad, you have some competition in the near future."

Fitz smiled. "My sons are turning against me already," he joked.

Karen sat next to Jerry. "Alright, you've had him long enough. My turn." She took Teddy in her arms and played with him.

Fitz and Mellie looked at each other. For a split second, they were the picture of a happy family. They weren't thinking of the undercurrents always threatening their marriage and political future. For one moment, life was in a bubble and nothing could penetrate it.

The moment didn't last long when Cyrus interrupted again. "Excuse me for intruding. Mr. President, you need to come with me."

"Is it really important?" Fitz questioned. Cyrus nodded his head yes. "Fine. I'll see you later. I don't know how long this might take." He kissed each of his kids on top of their heads and said goodbye.

"I guess it will be the four of us," Mellie said. "What would you like to do?"

"I can watch Teddy. I think Karen would like some time with you," he said giving the excuse his sister needed.

"Ok," she said. She and Karen went to Mellie's bedroom. They sat on the bed. "What's going on?"

"Mom, are you okay?" she asked.

Mellie looked at her confused. "I'm fine sweetheart. Why would you ask?"

"Dad's affair. I wanted to know if you're okay," she said.

Mellie went quiet for a minute. "Is this what this visit is about?" she asked finally.

"Yes. We wanted to check on you in person. I know when you're sad. I can hear it in your voice. Tell me if you're okay."

Mellie moved some hair behind Karen's ear. "You have nothing to worry about. You and your brothers are the most important things to us. Your father and I are going to be fine."

"So this Olivia and this other girl…dad really didn't sleep with them," she said trying to bait her mom.

Mellie didn't want know how to respond.

Karen said, "You went on tv. Were you just saying it as a stunt? Did you make it up?" she pressed.

"My reasons were my own Karen. I don't want you caught up in this. As I said, we are going to be fine."

Karen shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Later that evening, Mellie waited for Fitz to come into the room. He walked in and started getting undressed.

"What did Cyrus want?" she asked.

"Olivia is representing Janine now," he answered. Mellie rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"I handled the situation and your mistress decides to walk on the moral high road. She should be thanking me for getting the suspicion off of her," she said.

"Mellie-

"No. You need to do something. Be a man and a father. I will not allow our children to be dragged through the mud because you couldn't keep it in your pants."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You're the reason they are here. That's what Karen said. They want to know if it's true. Is there daddy really an adulterer?"

Fitz turned around. "Jerry and Karen won't be touched by this. I won't let it happen."

Karen and Jerry were sitting in his room. "Did you find anything out?" he asked.

"Of course not. Mom covered and I pretended to buy it. All it did was confirm it. We already know he had an affair just not with whom. Jerry, I know you're not comfortable with this but we have to find out."

"Then what happens? We are supposed to go back to boarding school and act like everything is fine," he responded. "I can't. We're playing with fire."

"I know but I can't let this go. We can't let it go. Look, we'll see what happens between them and we'll decide to go from there. We stick together, right?"

"We stick together," Jerry repeated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Karen sat with her younger brother in his nursery. She noticed how little time her mother spent with him over the past two days.

"I promise to always take care of you," she whispered against his head.

She heard the door opened and in walked Fitz smiling at the sight. A flashback of Mellie sitting on the floor with Karen as a baby entered his mind. He quickly shook the memory away.

"Hey Kare," he said.

"Hi dad," she greeted. Fitz kissed her cheek and sat next to her. He took Teddy out of her arms.

"How's my boy doing?" he asked. Fitz smiled when Teddy started making noises. He heard Karen laugh.

"I never get tired of hearing you laugh," he said. His eyes softened a bit. "I am sorry at how I acted toward you and your brother the last time. I wasn't myself."

"No you weren't," she replied while focusing on Teddy.

Fitz went silent for a few minutes. "Your mother told me the real reason of this visit."

"And?" she pressed.

"Your mom and I will take care of any situation that arises."

She sighed frustrated. "Why?"

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why did you even have us if you two hated each other? What was the point of having Teddy in the midst of this madness? No one asked us if we wanted to go to boarding school. We were just shipped off like we didn't matter."

He couldn't go into details about the reason behind Teddy's conception. "We don't hate each other."

"It's not like you love each other," she shot back.

"Karen, people sometimes grow apart but your mother and I don't hate each other," he reiterated.

"So you turn to a mistress," she blurted.

His eyes narrowed. "Karen," he warned.

She stood up growing more frustrated by the minute. "What? I know you and mom are just lying. Your marriage is shot and you pretend to be this stupid perfect family. That's pretty hard to do without your kids but who cares as long as you have my baby brother to show off to the world."

"Karen Grant, that's enough," he said calmly.

She shook her head. "Not even close."

Mellie walked in. "What's going on?" she asked. "I can hear yelling right outside the door."

"Ask dad," she said taking Teddy out of his arms. "I'll take him. At least he can't be tainted for a while."

She brushed past Mellie and Fitz was on the receiving end of Mellie's glare. "Fitz, what happened?"

He rubbed his forehead. "We got into an argument."

"Over what?" she questioned. Her eyes widened. "Tell me Olivia's name did not come up."

"No but she brought up a mistress and also the fact that we sent them to boarding school. Something I never wanted to do by the way."

"It was the best thing for them Fitz. We wanted a good education for them," she countered.

"No. I wanted them with us. It was you who couldn't stand to be a mother to them longer than necessary."

"Don't put this on me," Mellie said her voice rising. "You had one job. Reassure them that we would take care of everything. You can't even do that right."

"I did reassure her. She wants answers neither of us want to give," Fitz said.

Mellie let out a sigh. "I'll talk to her." She stormed out the room and went to Karen's room. It was empty. She went to Jerry's room.

He was sitting with Teddy on his lap. "Jerry, have you seen your sister?"

He didn't respond at first and she knew her daughter was up to something. "Jerry?"

"I don't know where she is. She gave me Teddy then ran back out. She wouldn't tell me anything."

"If you're covering-

"I swear," he interrupted.

Mellie quickly went to Fitz's office. He was talking to Cyrus. "Fitz, we have a problem."

"We do have a problem Mellie," Cyrus said. "Either Fitz admits to an affair on national television or that woman is going to the press blowing this whole thing up."

One more thing to deal with. She had other things to focus on right now. "I need to talk to Fitz. Alone."

Cyrus looked between the two. "Either you fix it or I will." He closed the door behind him.

"Fitz, Karen's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" he asked thinking she was deliberately egging him.

"Karen took Teddy to Jerry's room and she took off," Mellie said.

Fitz jumped out of his seat. "She was just-

"I know. Just find her. She couldn't have gone far," Mellie said. Fitz got on his phone and alerted secret service.

Mellie started to pace. "Where would she go?"

Karen didn't know why she ended up on this doorstep. This early visit was not in the plans and she knew she should have turned around. She glanced at the secret service newbie. He was going to get in trouble and she felt bad. She stared at the door debating to knock. The more she thought about her situation the angrier she became. She knocked on the door.

The door opened. "May I help you?"

"Hi. You must be Olivia. I'm Karen Grant. May I come in?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Olivia stood there shocked. She glanced at the secret service standing there and she didn't recognize him. She faced Karen again. "Come in," she said sidestepping.

Karen walked in looking around. It was a nice apartment. "You have a lovely place," she said as she turned around.

For a split second, it was as if Mellie was standing there giving false niceties. "What can I do for you?"

"Give me answers. Relax, mom and dad don't know I'm here," Karen stated.

"Perhaps you should call them. They must be worried," Olivia responded.

Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they don't even notice I'm gone. I wanted to see you for myself." She glanced around the living room trying to gather her thoughts.

"Was it you? Was it you who has been messing around with my dad? I think it was. The other girl seems pretty and nice but doesn't fit dad's type. You, on the other hand, do. I want a straight answer from you. I don't care about whatever excuses you have lined up in your head."

Karen surprised herself with her words. "You sound so much like mom right now," she thought.

Olivia thought about putting this girl in her place. "I'm sure this is one misunderstanding."

"Is it? From where I'm standing from, you are just one of the many things wrong with my parents. It makes no sense why your name would be all over the news and in two days you're off the radar. My guess is that mom had a hand in it. She doesn't want to be humiliated more than she already is. Out of all the people in the world, you had to be with my father. Now tell me I'm wrong and I'll apologize and go."

Olivia sighed. "Fine. It's true. I never intended for it to happen. It was not my goal to fall in love with your dad."

"But you did. You helped further destroy any semblance of family I had left. I hope you're proud of yourself. I thought you and mother were friends at one point. Don't you feel somewhat guilty? Apparently dad doesn't."

"Karen, what happened happened. I can't change it. I have regrets and hurting Mellie was one of them. I know this is hurtful and you have every right to your feelings."

Karen rolled her eyes. "I don't care about you. I will probably never care about you. The only thing I see is a mistress who could've done better. Out of all the single men, that is who you choose. What is wrong with you? I just hope if you ever have a daughter that she doesn't go through the pain that I'm experiencing."

"Adults grow apart and things happen that we don't foresee," Olivia reasoned. "I'm sorry for the pain you're feeling," she said sincerely.

Karen could see the genuineness but it didn't change facts. "If you were really sorry you would have stopped it."

"I tried," she explained. "Several times in fact but we couldn't let each other go."

Karen let out a half-hearted laugh. Her father would be the one to keep this train wreck moving. "I should have known. He wants what he can't have and what he should want he throws it away. At least you had a conscience."

"Karen, your dad struggled as well. He tried to-

"Stop. Don't defend him to me," she said her voice cracking out of frustration again. "He said the same thing about adults growing apart. He's really in love with you, isn't he? For a second I hoped it didn't go both ways.

Olivia stepped forward but Karen backed away. "Karen, it's best you talk to him."

"I'm talking to you," she snapped. "Is he in love with you?"

There was another knock on the door and Olivia answered it. The one time she wished he hadn't shown up on her doorstep. "Fitz."

"Hi Liv," he whispered. He looked past her to see Karen standing there. He was upset yet heartbroken at the sight of her.

He walked past Olivia. "Karen you shouldn't be here."

She clenched her fists wanting to argue. She wanted to keep yelling until he understood how she felt.

"We will talk when we get home," he said and grabbed her elbow. She jerked back as if his touch burned her.

"I can walk to the car," she muttered brushing past him. She got outside the apartment to see Hal standing there. "Traitor."

He shook his head. "Sorry Karen. Orders." They got on the elevator and headed toward the limo.

Fitz rubbed his face. "I'm sorry Liv."

"I'm fine. It's her you need to be worried about. How did you know she'd be here?" Olivia questioned.

"Mellie and I figured it out. What did she say?"

"A lot. She's angry at me mostly."

"Liv-

"No. She's a teenager who is very confused and wants things to be normal. Go talk to her," she interrupted.

"I'm sorry," he said. "She's more like her mother than I like."

Olivia smirked. "True. Just listen to her."

Fitz gave her an appreciative smile and walked out her door. Olivia closed it and leaned against it. Every word Karen said replayed in her head. "Nice Liv."

Fitz got in the limo and glanced at Karen. No words were exchanged. Karen's eyes flickered to him and she turned her head. She couldn't look at him at the moment.

"Drive," Fitz ordered. He sat there thinking of ways to start this conversation without having it turn nuclear. He figured that it would turn to that anyway. His phone rang.

"Mellie," he said.

"Was she there?" she asked urgently.

"Yes. She's with me now," he replied.

"Thank God. How is she?" she asked,

"Not good," he said. He could hear her sigh.

"I guess we'll be having a discussion later tonight. How about 8pm?"

"That's fine. We'll see you in a minute." He hung up.

"Is she mad?" Karen asked.

"Relieved you're ok," he clipped. "You scared us. We didn't know where you had gone. Then you got one of the secret service to whisk you away," he finished annoyed.

"His name is Chris and he shouldn't be punished."

"That's not for you to decide," he explained.

She went silent again looking out the window. They pulled into the tunnels to see Mellie waiting. Mellie hugged Karen tight.

"Mom, you're crushing me," she said.

Mellie took Karen's face in her hands. "We were worried sick about you. Don't ever do that again."

"Sorry mom," she whispered. Mellie kissed her forehead before taking her by the shoulders and leading her inside.

An hour later, Jerry walked into her room. "Jerry, I know," she said.

"You know what?" he asked.

"We're going to have this big family meeting and I'll get yelled at," she replied.

He leaned against the dresser. "Why did you go over there? What happened to sticking together? I should have been with you."

"I'm sorry. I got angry and next thing I know I'm on her doorstep."

"What happened?" he inquired.

"I ripped into her. I didn't care how hurt she got. I just wanted to see for myself. Then I found out they're really in love. It's real Jerry. The way he said her name. The way he looked at her...this family is over."

"Karen, they can fix this. Maybe it's just a phase," he said optimistic.

"If only. I don't know what else to say. I mean, she has him wrapped around her finger," Karen explained.

Jerry ran his fingers through his hair. "Now what? I told you we were playing with fire."

She had no answer for him. Jerry left and went back to his room. He was feeling overwhelmed.

He laid on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. His perception of his father had just been shattered into a million pieces.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows. Shout out to my guest reviewer Gussy for the support.

Chapter 5

All four of them sat in the oval office silent. No one tried to start the conversation. They just looked at each other except Jerry. Jerry could barely look his father in the eye without feeling some sort of resentment. It was a feeling he never wanted to feel and it weighed heavily on him. He would give anything not to be in this place right now. He wanted to go back to his little bubble back at boarding school even if it wasn't the most pleasant of places.

He inhaled sharply before deciding to address them. "Was it the assassination attempt?" he asked quietly. He gathered enough courage to look at Fitz. "Is this one of those mid-life crisis things?" he pressed still trying to hold on to something.

"No Jerry," he answered. "I'm not suffering from a mid-life crisis. I am in love with someone else."

Fitz could see the change in his son's eyes and it broke his heart. There was a look of disbelief and anger that he recognized. It was the same look he gave his father on numerous occasions.

Jerry briefly looked at his mother and he shook his head. "I wanted to believe that maybe I had a chance."

"A chance for what?" Mellie asked.

"A chance for a normal family. Karen saw it and maybe I did too but I've lived in denial. I thought underneath the show there was still love. It was just a phase that would die out," he admitted. He seemed to retreat into himself as he continued talking.

"I don't want to hate either of you. You're still my parents but it's too much. It's too much to process. How did you even get to this point? Was it me? Was it us? Did we drive you two apart by being born?"

"No," Mellie said trying to keep her voice strong. His head snapped up in her direction.

"Then what? Explain how this could happen. For the life of me, I don't understand," he said.

She went quiet. Her mind traveled to the one incident that set her on a different course. Shattering his world wasn't an option. This development was already putting him on edge. She looked at Karen who was also waiting for her to say something. Mellie looked up and closed her eyes.

"We wanted different things," she heard Fitz say. "Our goals and ambitions no longer lined up. Over time we grew apart and then I met Olivia," he explained.

"And you decided to pursue something," Jerry pressed. "Why not divorce each other?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"It's complicated," Mellie said.

"Complicated for whom?" Jerry asked. "You? Dad? Us? From where I'm sitting, we don't matter. This is about the two of you in the spotlight. Your political futures. It looks bad to divorce a mother of three while in office."

"The both of you matter," Fitz said. "We love you so much and we never wanted to get you in the middle of this."

Jerry rubbed his forehead. "You don't understand. You don't know what it is like."

Mellie and Fitz exchanged confused glances.

"I'm President Grant's son and everybody expects me to be just like you. I'm also under a microscope. Karen is too. It's us against them at times. I'm supposed to be on all the sports teams and be the jock. People think Karen is some princess. I have to hear people talking about how my dad couldn't keep it in his pants. Do you know how hard it is to live with that?"

Fitz did know what it felt like. "I do," he said.

"Then how could you turn around and do the same thing to me?" he questioned. "Knowing how much it hurt you. Knowing what this did to you…how could you?"

Fitz knew there was no answer that could satisfy Jerry. "There's nothing I can say that will make this right for you. For any of you. I wasn't happy anymore and I wanted to feel loved. Then I found happiness again. It was selfish I know. I didn't consider how my children would feel. I didn't have your best interests in mind."

Jerry sniffled. "And you," he said addressing his mother. "Did you know from the beginning?"

"Not at first," she admitted.

"How could you let this go on?" he pressed.

"I was willing to keep quiet for your father's sake," she said.

"And your political future," he finished. He was starting to feel disgusted with her too. "You would never want us to go through this. How would either of you feel if Karen was the one being cheated on? How would you feel if I turned out like dad and abandoned my wife and children?"

"Jerry, your father didn't abandon anybody," Mellie said.

"No? What do you call tossing us into boarding school?"

"That was my decision," Mellie said. "I wanted to give you and Karen the best education."

"I would have rather went to public school and spent time with you guys instead of the prison you sent us to," he said.

"We're sorry," Fitz said. "Hurting either of you is the last thing we want."

"What you do it again?" Karen asked. "Would you still be with her?"

He sighed. "Yes."

Karen slowly chuckled and nodded her head. "I thought so," she said quietly. Jerry didn't say anything. He leaned against the couch with his arms folded.

He heard Karen ask, "Are you going to divorce? Or just stay together long enough to carry out another term?"

"Honey, we don't know what the future holds," Mellie said. Jerry just shook his head at her words.

"Don't lie to us. You've done enough of that already," he said looking at her. "Just stop lying to us…to yourselves. Karen already said this family is over and I'm beginning to realize she's right. Now I wonder if we were even a family. Calling you and only seeing you on holidays isn't a life. Just don't do the same thing to Teddy. He should be the only Grant child who isn't screwed up."

Mellie tried to think of the words to take away their pain but came up empty. She could hide behind the mask she perfected in public but they couldn't. Their wounds were fresh.

"I need you to listen to me," Mellie said. "No matter what happens, we love all of you. You are the best things we've ever done and I don't regret having you. We've made mistakes but they are our mistakes to pay. Not yours. You shouldn't be subjected to any cruelty by your peers for what have or haven't done. Just don't hate us. That is one thing we cannot take."

"We don't hate you," Karen said.

"Jerry," Fitz called out.

"I'm trying," he said simply. "All I feel is disgust and anger and I don't know what to do with it."

"Okay son. I understand," he stated.

Silence once again enveloped the room.

"We still need to discuss you going to Olivia's apartment today," Mellie said. "It was reckless."

"I didn't care. I just wanted to make her see how much she hurt me. I wanted to see the woman for myself," Karen said. "It won't happen again."

"What happened to Chris?" she asked Fitz.

"Transferred," he said simply.

"Can we be excused now?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah," Mellie said. Neither of them said another word and Jerry closed the door with a slam.

Mellie held her face in her hands. "What did we do? We have to make this right." Fitz sat beside her and grabbed her hand.

"I'll speak to the public telling them to back off. We'll figure it out from there."

She wanted to believe him but she couldn't shake the feeling that things with the kids were going to get worst. "They hate us now."

"No they don't," he reassured.

"Did you not see the look in Jerry's eyes?" she asked. "I feel as if we lost our son. This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen," she said. She started to pace.

"We were happy. We were going to live normal lives as possible. I was the lawyer who wanted to give to charity. I didn't want to become this cold shrew that everybody sees. I had aspirations for us. What's wrong with that? I wanted you to see what you could become because I believed in you. I sacrificed for you. I am the one who has been in this with you for twenty years. Then you give your heart to someone else. All of this…if it wasn't for your father-

"My father? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Nothing. Just everything you did was to get the approval of that man when you had me. I don't want the same destructive relationship to happen between you and Jerry. Whatever we do, we need to do it right. We can't have them push us away."

She left him in the office and he sat there. He let out a shaky breath. Somehow this was going to work out in the end.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Fitz stood behind the podium looking as poised as ever. All the reporters ready to soak up his every word.

"Good morning. In light of recent events, there have been questions of whether I can do my job as President. I can assure the American people that I take my job seriously. With every decision, I only think of the American people who put their trust and faith in me. However, I am not a perfect man and I have made mistakes. I had the affair. I have hurt the people closest to me and I regret it deeply. My family and I are asking for privacy while we deal with this sensitive situation. I ask that our wishes be respected."

He walked off the stage as reporters bombarded him with questions. He turned to Cyrus who had a relieved expression.

"You did good Mr. President," he said. "Everything is in the clear."

Fitz nodded his head and went back to his office. He sat behind the desk and started to dial Olivia's number before deciding not to. He would have to call her later.

Jerry, Karen and Mellie watched the brief press conference from her office.

"So that's it?" Karen asked. "It's over with one press conference."

"Yes. No one should bring this up anymore," she said. She sat there thinking about her little payoff deal she made with the girl. It wasn't a total loss. Fitz kept his word and now it was time to repair their relationships.

"I need to go," Jerry said excusing himself. Karen was about to say something but his glare told her to back off.

Karen looked at Mellie and felt a pang in her heart. "I should go after him," Karen offered.

"No. He needs space and it's the least I can do," Mellie said. She felt her daughter's hand on hers.

"I'm like you. Strong, resourceful, infuriating, impossible to deal with at times, loyal. I can almost let things roll of my back. I'm pretty good at keeping a mask in front of others at school. We know Jerry isn't like that. He internalizes and he is pretty quiet. He looked up to dad so much. We just didn't want it to be true and it doesn't sit well with either of us. He'll forgive both of you."

"And you?" she asked.

"Mom...

Her eyes mirrored disappointment. One night didn't change feelings and one press conference wasn't a magical solution.

"I need time too," Karen said.

Jerry eventually walked into Fitz's office to be greeted by unfamiliar faces. Fitz told everyone to leave and people made eye contact with Jerry. All he could see was pity in those eyes and it made him even more angry.

Fitz stood before Jerry not sure how to approach him. Jerry searched Fitz's eyes and just stared at him for a few seconds.

"I wanted to talk to you alone before I lose my nerve," Jerry said. Fitz guided him to the couch.

"Tell me anything. Whenever you're ready," Fitz said.

"I looked up to you. When I said everyone expects me to be you, it's true. I even expect me to be like you. Going into politics like all Grant men do. I didn't want to be a disappointment. But I'm not fit for politics. I'm not the outgoing person. I keep to myself. I only have a few friends now...the ones who didn't abandon me since this whole thing broke out. I keep wishing that this is all a dream."

He shook his head not sure if he should continue. "Continue when you're ready," Fitz encouraged.

"When you got shot, I spent hours looking at a video of it. I thought you were going to die. I couldn't even come see you in case something did happen. I wasn't going to be able to say I love you or even goodbye. Then I saw you and you treated me different. You scared me to the point of even thinking about this place made me sick. Mom said you were back to your old self. I thought I had my dad back. I feel I've lost you again. How do I know you won't marry Olivia and start this new family and forget about me?"

"Son, that is never going to happen. My first born. When you were placed in my arms I promised to protect and love you until the day I died. It took us a while to have you but it was worth it. I vowed to never treat you like I was treated. I never wanted you to believe that I thought of you as weak, incompetent, disappointing. You are your own man. Living off the Grant name is an easy option. You work hard, play harder. You remove the obstacles...you pull the strings. You are the puppet master and everyone just follows. I don't expect you to be the type of man who lacks compassion for others. I don't expect you to follow in my footsteps nor your grandfather's. Politics isn't for everybody. More importantly, you are not a disappointment."

Jerry smiled briefly. "Can I ask something?"he asked. Fitz nodded yes.

"Were you always unhappy with mom?"

"We were in love. I met her through a blind date ironically set up by my father and a friend of his. I didn't want to do it but then I met her. We were interested in law and how to help people. We had plans to make a difference. Her smile was the first thing I really noticed. Her laugh was contagious. She'd laugh at my jokes which half the time wasn't even funny. She was easy to talk to. She was pleasant to be around. She really impressed me how far she went for her clients. She could argue anyone down and she won majority of her cases. We balanced each other. We fit and I didn't dream of our marriage taking this bad of a hit. We had other rough times but we managed. We are still managing now."

"What happened really?" Jerry questioned. "The whole we wanted different things doesn't tell the whole story."

"It all stopped. Suddenly she changed before I ran for governor. I don't know why. She became distant. It really manifested when she was pregnant. I thought it was hormones at times. Then she would try to get close again and I wanted us together so I put my effort in making it work. Over the years, the distance grew and we didn't want to be in the same room. It's easy to keep up the facade but only for so long. We reached a breaking point and I moved on emotionally. I am always going to care about Mellie."

He nodded in understanding. He mentally prepared himself for this next request. "I want to meet her before I go. Olivia. But this isn't some form of acceptance. It would feel like a betrayal," he said.

"I'll arrange it," Fitz said.

Fitz dialed Olivia's number later that night. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey Liv."

"Nice press conference. You did well," she stated.

He smiled at the praise. "I had to. It's best for everybody."

"How are they?" Olivia asked. She heard the sigh and sadness in his voice.

"Their world was crushed and I'm responsible for it. My kids...they look at me differently. I see the anger and it breaks my heart. I'm afraid the damage is irreversible."

He leaned back in his chair. "Some father of the year I am."

"What can I do?" Olivia asked.

"Actually Jerry wants to see you before he goes back to boarding school. Just put him at ease. He's different from Karen. I'm not sure how he's going to react."

Olivia sat up. "Okay. I should be free in the afternoon...around 2."

"That's fine," he said. "See you tomorrow Liv."

"See you tomorrow Fitz."

**The following afternoon...**

Olivia let out a deep breath before opening her front door. She greeted Jerry and Fitz with a warm smile. Jerry gave the best smile he could manage before walking through. Olivia closed the door.

"Thanks for seeing me," Jerry said.

"It's not a problem," Olivia said.

Jerry looked at Fitz. "Can I have a minute alone?"

Fitz hesitated in fear of things escalating. Olivia looked at him reassuringly. "We will be fine. Just, um...

"Wait in the back," he finished. He walked out of the living room.

Jerry rubbed his forehead. "I'm not going to yell or fight with you. I hate all of this. I hate the part you played in it. Frankly, my trust has been shattered. I see my dad loves you and I don't see you going anywhere anytime soon. I'm willing to make an effort. I can try to get along for his sake. You seem like a nice person and all. But my mother and my siblings come first. As much as I want you to be a nonexistent factor I know that fantasy won't come true. We can be cordial but please don't expect me to start calling you my stepmother. All I ask is that you be respectful and mindful of us. By us I mean me, Karen and Teddy. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise Jerry," she said feeling a little at ease.

"Thank you." He paused for a minute. "Are you really ready for this?"

"Excuse me?" she asked confused.

"The level of scrutiny. I read everything in all the media outlets. They picked you apart. In all serious, if you are really prepared to live your life as a Grant, it comes with the territory. One more thing, love my dad. I don't want him hurt. He may not be my favorite person at the moment but he is still my father. Don't toy with him. Enough hurt and disappointment has been thrown around already."

He waited for a response.

"Jerry, hurting Fitz is the last thing I want to do. I do apologize for how you and Karen were affected. I would like for us to try and be friends one day. I won't push. I do want to tell you that I'm here if you need anything."

"I appreciate it. I guess that's it. I should go." He called for Fitz. "I'm ready. I'll wait by the car." He left and Olivia ran her fingers through her hair.

"I kind of was expecting the yelling despite me reassuring you. He laid it out there for me the way he knew how," she stated. "He is willing to try for your sake. Maybe there's hope for the both of you."

Jerry closed his eyes. He got it over with. He had resolved in himself the minute he was at her doorstep not to lose his temper which he felt flaring. He had to be smart and in control. He was going to be the bigger person and try. Seeing her just put the final nail in the coffin.

He heard footsteps and opened his eyes. He got in the car.

"So Olivia said you were willing to try," Fitz said.

"Yeah," he said looking out the window. "She's stuck with us I guess."

"Thank you anyway," he said sincerely.

"I asked her this and now I'm going to ask you...are you really ready for her to be a Grant?"

"What?" he asked.

"They picked her apart. I don't know how she handled it but one thing I know now is that being a Grant comes with a price. Is she willing to pay it once you marry her? We're all under microscopes sooner or later."

"Olivia can handle it," he defended.

They arrived at the White House and Jerry saw his mother walking the halls. He caught her eye and she gave a smile. It was filled with hope. He approached her.

"Hi," she said. "How was the afternoon with Fitz?"

"Fine," he said. "Um, I have to go and pack now. You know, flight leaving tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay...see you at dinner," she said not wanting to push. She kissed his cheek and walked away. He went to his room and started to pack.

The door opened and Karen walked in. "Where did you and dad run off to?"

"Olivia's," he said.

"Does mom know?" she asked.

"What do you think? She already hates that you went over there. Neither of us were going to tell her."

"How did it go?"

"Smoothly. I got it over with," he said tiredly. She reached for his shoulder but he moved. "I need to pack."

"Jerry?"

"Karen, I need to pack," he said more firmly.

"Okay...what did I do?" she asked.

"You brought us here, that's what. You had to play detective and look where that got us. I need time to think," he said annoyed.

"Um, I'll go...and pack too," she said hurt.

He sighed. "Wait," he said facing her. "You didn't deserve that. I'm trying to be the strong one here. For me, for you, for Teddy...I'm the older brother and I guess this is me trying to step in and be mature. I'm failing, aren't I?"

"No. I dragged us into this nightmare. Why didn't you stop me?"

"Because even if I did try you would have done it anyway," he replied.

She chuckled. "Very true. I can be-

"Stubborn," he finished. "Look, when we get back, can we try and behave like normal human beings?"

"We can try but what's the fun in that? We're Grants," she joked.

"Work hard, play harder," repeating his father's words. "Well, living by that motto hasn't worked out too well. The new Grant motto: protect what's yours." He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, you won't end up like him nor grandpa. Just be you."

"Be me. I don't know who I am anymore," he said.


End file.
